Intercourse, PA

17

Oct

Yep, you read that title correctly. There really is a town in Pennsylvania called Intercourse, and it’s actually in Amish country. I’ve been wanting to visit the Lancaster area since I moved to Philadelphia a year agoΒ because I love traveling around the area, and Matt and I had a free weekend last week so we made a day trip out to Intercourse and Lancaster! (Stay tuned for next week’s post on Lancaster!) I thought I would do a post on what to do in Intercourse, PA for anyone else interested in taking a day trip out to Amish country.Β 

For a little background on the Amish, they are a group of traditional Christians who speak “Pennsylvania Dutch” and don’t use modern technology (they’re similar to Mennonites but the Amish have more strict rules aboutΒ their use of technology).Β They’re probably most well known by their traditional horses and buggies, which we saw everywhere in Intercourse! Since they don’t like technology, youΒ might offend them if you take pictures of them, so be considerate. In my photos, you’ll see that there was a lot of distance between the subject and me, and in my Instagram photo, I just photographed the back of them. If you’re interested, you can read more about the interesting Amish culture here!

Intercourse, PA is only about an hour away from Philadelphia, so it’s a really easy day trip. I was lucky to have a friend from the women’s college in NC I graduated from who lives there (small world!), so she gave us some awesome suggestions. The weather was pretty grey and dreary so my pictures of the farmland aren’t very pretty, so I wouldΒ recommendΒ going on a nicer day with blue skies!

 

what to do in Intercourse, PA

I loved all the parking spots for horses!

what to do in Intercourse, PA

We started our day getting coffee from the Corner Coffee Shop, and the Sweet Bee Latte is probably the best latte I’ve ever had. Then we crossed the street to Kitchen Kettle Village, a little cluster of cute shops with everything you could imagine, from Amish Nativity sets in a Christmas store to homemade fudge and kettle corn. It was a lot of fun going through all the shops and it started getting busier later in the morning, so I would suggest going as early as possible.Β We got some pottery, wine from a local winery, and some Christmas presents, and the next time I go, I want to bring a cooler with me so I can stock up on all the great meat and cheese they were selling everywhere!

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

The Christmas store was really neat and had a lot of interesting antiques

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

We drove around a little bit looking at all the farms (my friend suggested looking at farms along Old Philadelphia Pike) and anΒ old school house, and there are bike tours through Intercourse Bike Works that came highly recommended (you can bike to a farm and have lunch with the family!) but we didn’t have enough time during this visit. There are even farms with alpacas!

We stopped for an early lunch at Dienner’s Country RestaurantΒ for a delicious buffet, and it’s such a popular local place that there were already a lot of people waiting for tables already when we left around noon. If you’re interested in other restaurants, my friend also recommended Stoltzfus Meats, Plain and Fancy, Miller’s, and Good N Plenty, andΒ she said that Shady Maple is more of a tourist spot and doesn’t have the best food.

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

We were full after lunch so we didn’t get shoo-fly pies, but we did get some nice $3 pumpkins

what to do in Intercourse, PA

16

what to do in Intercourse, PA

We left Intercourse after lunch so we could make it to a farmer’s market in Lancaster before it closed, and then we came back towards IntercourseΒ to go to Lapp Valley Farm to get some ice cream before headingΒ back to the city. The ice cream was amazing and cheap, and I definitely recommend it! You can also pet some calves and see the process of milking cows, so it was great to be able to walk around the farm and see everything up close rather than just from the road. There were also a lot of families with young kids there who were really enjoying petting the calves!

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

I saw a lot of Amish people on these bikes, so does anyone know what they’re called?

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

what to do in Intercourse, PA

This little guy just popped up and tried playing with my camera strap!

While we didn’t have the best weather, it was a lot of fun going to Intercourse in the fall to see the pumpkins and changing leaves and the temperature was perfect. I definitely want to go back and spend a whole weekend just in Intercourse! Has anyone else ventured out toΒ Amish country? πŸ™‚

 

Blog, Delaware & Pennsylvania, North America, Photography, Travel, USA

  1. Darla says:

    Looks like a fun stop! Will have to check it out next time I am in that neck of the woods πŸ™‚

  2. Kristie says:

    I couldn’t believe the name when I found it on a trivia, so I had to just google and find out for myself if it was really true. Even further I found it to be true and in Amish country. This place looks very nice safe place to visit. Thanks for the true reality visual.
    Glad you had fun on your adventure!!

  3. Becky says:

    Wow so interesting to read about Amish community. Looks like a really cool place to visit. Love your photos too ?

  4. Meghan says:

    I live in dc so I’m not too far from here. I have heard of intercourse, but have never been there. Looks like a quiet and quaint place – may have to visit soon!

  5. This was so interesting! I have never set foot in Philadelphia or an Amish territory so this was a great read and I really enjoyed the ride. And I chuckled every time I read the word Intercourse. Yep, I want that sweater.

  6. Amanda Tran says:

    I am waaaay too immature and couldn’t make it through the post without chuckling every time I saw Intercourse. The town looks so quaint and honestly, nothing like what I expected an Amish town to look like. The photos are beautiful Julia!

  7. This was such an interesting read!! Can’t wait to see more from you ?

  8. Haha I’m 12 cause I laughed every time you used the word Intercourse. I also love that it’s Amish haha. Nice thorough write up!

  9. Karin says:

    I totally disagree with you on your pictures, I think bad weather or not, they are gorgeous! You have a good eye. And alpacas? Seriously, I would never have thought you can find them that far up north! Do they also make alpaca wool sweaters?
    Before I forget, I was all heeheehee when reading “Intercourse” and “Lapp Valley”. Hilarious. IΒ΄d like to go there, although I think Amish people wouldnΒ΄t like me much!

    • Julia says:

      They sell lots of souvenirs with things saying “I love Intercourse” so they do have a sense of humor about the name! πŸ™‚ I’m not sure about the alpaca wool sweaters, but I want to check that out now!

  10. Corinne says:

    You really captured Intercourse. It is such a nice area especially in the off-season. The bakery in nearby Bird-In-Hand is awesome. The best sugar cookies!

  11. Alisa says:

    AHH Lapp Valley Farmβ€” the BEST ice cream out there! Great round-up, makes me want to head back out there soon!

  12. Cat says:

    Lovely photos! I love old world towns and farms. Thanks for sharing!

  13. Eli says:

    Hey Julia, it sounds like you had quite the Amish adventure!

    Really great photography.

    Did you know that Intercourse, PA is featured in an old Beavis and Butthead comic? For real, check it out: http://i.imgur.com/N4aKwdl.jpg

    I actually had a copy of it when I was a kid, I thought it was hilarious. Still do.

  14. Ray says:

    Oh, the jokes that could be made with that town’s name!

  15. Stephanie says:

    Neat photos! I would love to visit an Amish place.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

embed your form here

 Pellentesque rutrum maximus leo vitae blandit. Vestibulum vel est eu sem laoreet dapibus. Pellentesque cursus semper purus, a gravida tortor. Ut ac urna magna. 

Grab Your Guide